


Blind dates never work out!

by apieformydean



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: A pinch of smut, Amazingphil - Freeform, Awkwardness, Blind Date, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Funny, KickThePj - Freeform, KickTheStickz - Freeform, M/M, Not quite one-night stand, Phan - Freeform, Phanfiction, Semi-explicit sex, Teacher!Phil, To Be Continued, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, child!Dil, crabstickz - Freeform, danisnotonfire - Freeform, i guess, single father!Dan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-04-20 16:04:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4793756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apieformydean/pseuds/apieformydean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the prompt I found online: “hey we hooked up last night and it turns out you are my childs teacher” au</p><p>I KNOW I'M AWFUL WITH UPDATING BUT I PROMISE I'LL ADD MORE CHAPTERS, DON'T HATE ME :C</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> because who doesn't need some clumsy fluffy phan?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The blue eyed man nods, smiling warmly. "I guess I'm your date tonight."

Dan is sitting at the farthest table from the entrance, alone and lonely. He's watching the steam rising from his cup of tea, silently tapping his fingers on the table. He's not angry, just a bit annoyed. Also a bit nervous about the fact that he left Dil alone with PJ and Chris. He swears the two only wanted to get rid of him so they could be with their godchild. They must think that if Dan starts dating he will ask them to babysit the six-year-old more often.

Dan really can't blame them. The little guy is fantastic. He’s very smart, he can read almost fluently. He also uses sarcasm already and has excellent sense of humour. He's so much like his dad. Of course they want to be with him, Dan thinks with a smirk.

But then again, he told Chris and Peej not to put on a blind date for him. Those never work out! Seriously, is there anything worse than being stuck with a stranger you know nothing about? Well, actually, there _is_. When your friends make a profile on a dating site with your name but without your consent.

"Erm, sorry?" an uncertain but rather pleasant voice speaks behind Dan and he jumps a bit. Turning around he sees a pair of cobalt eyes and a huge jet-black fringe. "Are you..." the man takes a look at the smudged words in blue ink on his hand. Dan thought that was only a meme. "'xxxsexyllamas91'?"

Dan blushes. What an idiotic name. He will kill PJ for sure.

But the man is handsome. Oh, who is he shitting? He's _absolutely gorgeous_. His eyes twinkle with something Dan assumes is happiness. Not just temporary, but a general happiness and satisfaction with his life. He’s the guy you could advertise anything with, people would buy it.

He's wearing plaid and black skinnies, his hair is similar to Dan's own, and the brunet thinks for a moment that the guy is himself from a parallel universe where he wears colourful clothes and is a happy person.

"I guess so." he mumbles, looking away from the man, suddenly realising he's been staring. "You must be 'The_PhilLion', then."

"Yeah." the blue eyed man nods, smiling warmly. His shoulders seem to relax. "I guess I'm your date tonight."

\--

"Oh, are you kidding me?" Dan grins at the man – who’s called Phil, now he knows. "Muse is my fricking life, oh god, I just _love_ them!" He stops suddenly, hoping his mini-fangirling didn't scare the guy, but Phil's face brightens up.

"Yes! I mean, I know they're not today's music, but they have been with such a great impact on my life..." He keeps on talking and Dan forces himself to look down at his feet. He's walking Phil home, because his flat is not too far away and it's starting to get late. Dil has his first day in school tomorrow, after all. He knows he has to get home, but… something just doesn’t let him. Phil’s company makes him forget everything bad, his cheer rubbing off on him.

Dan is screwed. He's been stuttering and flustered all night. Not the 'oh-look-that's-an-attractive-person' kind of flustered, more like a 'shit-you-me-bed-then-wed’ flustered. They have so much in common that’s borderline creepy. The videogames, the music, the film references... Dan is screwed big time because he's falling for his blind date, too soon and too fast.

\--

Well, Dan is pretty sure Phil wouldn't have offered to make him a cup of coffee at midnight unless he planned to do this all along. The black haired man pushes the younger one up against the wall, kissing him on the lips hard. His tongue is demanding and hands wander all over Dan's stomach and chest. The brunet tangles his fingers in the older man's hair and keeps back a moan as Phil bites his lower lip. They are both in their boxers only, Dan grinds his pelvis against Phil's and they both sigh in pleasure. Dan leans his head against the wall and lets Phil do what he wishes with him.

There's a small voice in his head saying he has responsibilities tomorrow but now he couldn't care less. All he knows is Phil's mouth wandering downwards on his neck, and his eyes roll back in his head as he sucks on the flesh. When the ebony haired man goes even southern, Dan is sure he won't be able to leave tonight.

\--

Driving a car with sore butt is not what Dan feared the most when he sneaked out Phil's flat at 7 a.m., just an hour ago. He left a note for the still-asleep guy with his number and left. He managed to get a taxi and went home. There he found PJ and Chris sleeping in the guest room, tangled up in each other, so he decided to let them sleep. He woke Dil up, and quietly got him ready for his first day.

They are now driving to school, with only two things on Dan’s mind.

For starters, he’s so proud of his little boy. When his mother left him to Dan, the man had literally no idea how to parent. He was just wandering around, panicking about his life and the baby’s life and everybody’s life because seriously, he was terrible with these kind of things. Without Peej and Chris he never could have done this. And here they are now, driving to the little guy’s first day of school. He’s a bit silent, just as always when nervous. Dan doesn’t try to make him talk, he just lets him think.

Thinking. That’s what Dan’s doing the whole morning.

He really hopes Phil will call him. He knows one night stands usually are what their name suggests: _one night_. And despite that, he still wants to meet Phil again, and has a feeling the man would like it, too. They had something; that much is clear. And not just while fucking – which _was_ amazing, just for the record – but also while talking. Phil comforted Dan and he knows he would be able to open up to him, which he hasn’t done to anybody in years now.

He mentioned Dil to Phil, too, and he was a bit surprised but was genuinely interested. He loved children, he said, and probably that’s when Dan realised he wanted this man in his life. He knows it’s hard to find men his age who like children yet still have none.

Phil is just perfect, in every sense of the word.

\--

“Alright, son, are you ready to do this?” Dan asks, acting all serious, using his extra-low father-voice. He hopes to get a smile from Dil, but the boy looks more nervous than ever. “Hey, what’s up, Dil?” Dan crouches down to his son, frowning. “I thought you were excited about school.”

They’re standing in front of the closed door of Dil’s classroom. They’re maybe a bit late because there’s no one else around them, probably all the kids are in there already. He hopes they’re not _that_ late, thought.

“I was… I _am_.” Dil reassures his dad, but his small mouth is curving downwards.

“Nope, nopety nope, _nope_.” Dan says quickly, putting the boy’s schoolbag on the floor, grabbing his little shoulders with his too-big hands. Dil’s blinking at him with his huge brown eyes, tears shining in the corners. “What happened, honey? Why are you upset?”

“I’m afraid, daddy.” he mumbles, looking down at his feet. “What if they don’t like me?”

“Oh, darling.” Dan sighs and pulls Dil into a hug. He’s so small, the man embraces him easily. “They’ll love you, okay? You will make friends. Believe me, you will.”

Dan knows exactly what it’s like being anxious about school and people. He has never been very popular, he’s never had that many friends. He’s always been too weird for the other kids, too feminine and 'gay' for boys, but still not able to pass among girls.

Dil is not as fucked-up as he was, Dan knows that. He’s going to be fine.

“Let’s just walk in there and impress everybody with your awesomeness, shall we?” Dan pulls away and smiles at him. The little boy gives his dad a hesitant nod and takes his bag on his back. He turns to the door and after a moment of thinking he opens it.

The first thing Dan sees is the colour of the walls, which is light blue. There are small children, all in their yellow-black uniforms and the man thinks it must be a torture for them to wear it. And they’re _clearly_ not just a little bit late. The teacher is facing the blackboard, writing something on it.

Dil walks in and Dan is right behind him, ready to apologise to the teacher for causing a scene.

“Good morning, Mister. I’m really sorry to be late…” he speaks. The teacher turns around and Dan’s lungs get pressured into the size of a matchbox.

“Oh.” the man with the too familiar cobalt eyes stares at him and has no words. They’re standing there for several seconds, the whole class silent around them. Dan just tries to keep his mouth closed, but fails to do so. He’s not sure if he’s able to move.

“Phil.” is all that leaves his mouth. It’s a quiet mumble, but it’s audible in the whole room.

“Hello, Dan.” Phil speaks in a less shocked voice, but still blushes. He can’t tear his eyes away from Dan, though.

And Dan’s brain is overflowed with images of last night. When he and Phil were talking about Pokémons over their dinners… when they were walking back to the man’s apartment and Phil’s face was illuminated by the moon… when he first kissed Dan, hesitantly, after he made them coffee… when Phil came after the hand-job Dan gave him… when he woke up and the jet-black haired guy was the first thing Dan saw…

Dil tugs at the sleeve of his dad’s jacket and Dan’s back to reality.

“Daddy, you are red.” he informs Dan. The man, realising his face is hot, clears his throat and looks down at his feet.

“Mr. Lester, I’m very sorry to cause inconvenience, we didn’t mean to arrive so late. We had… some problems with getting ready in the morning.” Dan says in the most professional voice he has. He doesn’t want this whole thing to be awkward for Phil.

“I see. Mr. Howell.” the teacher replies eventually and puts a hand on the little boy’s back. “So, you must be Dil. Take a seat, please.” he says with a smile and motions towards the class. Dil silently does as he was told to and Dan watches him go.

“Please look after him, will you?” Dan whispers to Phil and the ebony-haired man nods. Their eyes meet for just a second and Dan swears Phil looks a bit sad.

“I will.” he promises and looks like he wants to say something else, but he doesn’t. Dan decides it’s time for him to leave.

“Thank you.” he nods, and without a smile or anything else he walks out of the classroom, closing the door behind himself.

\--

The final bell rings and Dan comes back to his senses. He’s standing in front of the school, leaning against his car, waiting for Dil. He has been spacing out again. It has happened to him quite a few times today.

He’s showed up for work at BBC Radio 1 earlier today, he had some paperwork, and it was perfect to keep him busy. He loves his job, he wouldn’t trade it for anything, but as soon as he left the radio’s building… all his troublesome thoughts came back right away.

He wants to talk to Phil but really doesn’t want to get negative answers. So he decides to avoid asking. It’s so much easier to cope with his problems this way.

Children start spilling out of the school and Dan scans the crowd for his son. There’re so many people, Dan feels a grimace settle on his face, because people are gross. He’s never been a social person so this is really not the place he wants to be. He wouldn’t let the little boy take the bus on his first day, though.

“Dad!” Dil races towards Dan when he sees the car and his dad, and Dan walks towards him. Dil is smiling and that’s what matters. Dan’s previous grimace turns into a genuine smile when the boy hugs him tightly.

“Hey, kiddo!” he takes Dil in his arms and lifts him up. “So how was your day?” Dan asks as they walk to the car.

“It was so great! Mr. Lester is the best teacher ever! He told us a funny story about a lion and a llama and there’s this girl with a strange name, I don’t really remember it but I know it was like a dessert…” he goes on and on about her, and Dan just smiles as he puts his son in the car, fastening his seatbelt. He closes Dil’s door and walks over to his own to get in.

“Erm, hey.”

Dan turns around and sees a very insecure Phil Lester standing a few meters away from him, blinking at him in his ridiculously hot glasses.

“Hello.” Dan greets him back and ignores the butterflies in his stomach because seriously? What is he, a pre-teen girl?

“So… Dil’s day was alright?” Phil asks, peering down at his feet. “He was pretty anxious in the morning.”

“Yeah, it was good, thanks to the lion and the llama.” Dan offers a smile which Phil returns in no time. They’re both silent for a moment before Phil talks quietly.

“Look, Dan.” he starts, looking at the other man in the eye. “I don’t know what last night meant to you-“

“Do you want to forget about it?” Dan asks, and the words hurt. “Because I- we can pretend it never happened. For your job’s sake and everything.”

“Do _you_ want to?” Phil asks back, raising one eyebrow. And Dan thinks about lying but knows there’s no point.

“No.”

“Thank God.” Phil sighs and closes the few feet gap between them, placing a small, sweet kiss on Dan’s lips. He tastes like coffee and doughnut and Dan wants to push him against his car and kiss him properly but he knows he can’t.

Phil steps away, cheeks a light shade of pink.

“How about I call you later today?” he asks shyly.

“I’d love that.” Dan smiles at him and Phil just nods. He pushes his glasses up on his nose and turns around, walking back to the school, eventually disappearing in the crowd. Dan watches him as long as he can, realising Phil’s skinnies fit him rather nicely.

Getting into the car, Dan is surprised that Dil is not talking. He’s clearly thinking about something and his dad lets him figure it out on his own. The boy only speaks when they’re a block away from the school.

“Why did you kiss Mr. Lester?” he asks, looking at his dad in the rear-view mirror.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Dan smiles at him. “But until that, I think I’ll have to drive you to school every day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeeeey i hope you liked this small nothing i wrote in school, because i'm already bored during the lessons and have nothing else to do than write some pre-smut  
> btw i'm always a slut for kudos and comments, and even prompts if you have one! xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of unexpected things happened tonight, he decides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here you go guys, chapter 2!  
> thank you so much for waiting for it and encouraging me, i would have never written a 2nd chapter without you :*

Dan feels like a total idiot when he knocks on the door. It was two weeks since PJ and Chris last looked after his son – on the night he dated Phil for the first time –, but he was concerned if they were the best people to leave a little boy with, considering all the crazy things they did as hobbies.

Dil is right next to him, holding his hand, backpack huge compared to his small body. If he didn’t know better, Dan would say the teacher was insane to give so much homework. Dil is excited to spend the rest of the afternoon with his godfathers, thought. They are so much fun! They might let him help by cooking dinner again.

“Danny!” Chris opens the door wide with a huge grin on his face. He hugs the other man, almost knocking him over. Dan isn’t even surprised. He just hugs back, trying not to suffocate in the bear-hug.

“Hey, Chris.”

“And our big boy Dil!” Chris goes on, holding his palm out. The boy high-fives in it with a smile and lets Chris lead him into the flat. “Come on, I have a new Xbox game to show you!” and with that, they disappear in there. PJ steps out of the kitchen to Dan.

“So, date night again.” he gives the brunet a lopsided smile and a suggestive wiggle of eyebrows.

“Shut it.” Dan rolls his eyes but smiles to himself.

“Oh, come on! You never talk about him! It’s not fair.” PJ tells him with the expression of a puppy. “We arranged that blind date for you! And you haven’t even thanked us!”

“Well, thank you, then.” Dan shrugs and grins at the other’s annoyed pout.

“Will we ever get to know his name?”

“Maybe.” Dan nods and with that he waves at PJ. He has to leave now. He’s got a date tonight and he doesn’t want to be late.

\--

A last fringe-check in the rear-view mirror and Dan gets out of his car. It’s a bit cold outside but he fastens his steps to the flat’s door. There are some moths around the lamp next to the building and Dan hopes they stay just where they belong.

He walks up the stairs, and to his biggest surprise, the door opens right before he can ring the bell.

A very handsome and shy Phil Lester stands in front of him and Dan suddenly feels his stomach tighten. He has been successfully repressing his anxiousness to this point but now he’s lost. Phil’s wearing dark blue skinnies and a galaxy-patterned jumper. His hair is in his eyes and he pushes it to the side with a tiny smile.

“Hey.” he greets in a small voice and Dan has to clear his throat because he’s not sure he’s able to talk right now.

“Erm, hi.” he says with a grin. “I see you’re ready.” he observes.

“Yeah.” Phil blushes a bit. “You look really good.” the ebony-haired man mumbles and Dan wants to tell him he’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen but thinks it would be a bit sappy and he doesn’t want to ruin this.

“You too.” he nods instead. “Shall we?” he steps to the side, motioning Phil towards the car. The older man locks his flat and makes his way to Dan’s vehicle. The brunet opens the door for him. Being polite is the way to treat a special person, is what his mum always told him.

And Phil Lester _is_ special, to say the least.

\--

The film is totally boring. It’s about some guy who travels around the world until he finds the woman of his dreams. Nothing new or interesting. What a fortune Dan has other things to keep him occupied.

Phil is sitting on his right, watching the movie screen with an amazed expression. There’s a monumental nature scene on at the moment. The lights of the movie illuminate his face, so it’s practically glowing. It gives a wonderful contour to his lips and eyes, and Dan tries really hard not to think inappropriately about the man. Without success, needless to say.

They have been talking for the last two weeks, online and on the phone, too, and they both agreed on a new start. Because now Phil is Dil’s teacher and Dan is a parent and they have to think responsible for the sake of the boy. They hope to make a serious relationship out of this one, so the brunet thinks they have to take it slow. That’s why Dan offered the cinema. That’s not like a bar or anything, where he can’t keep his hands for himself, right?

Well, now he’s not that sure. Phil’s drinking his coke in an absolutely illegal manner, lips curving around the straw and Dan wonders if he does that on a purpose. The guy on the screen says something funny and Phil laughs in his adorable way, with his tongue slightly out and everything, looking at Dan. The younger man is grinning, too, but for a different reason. Dan leans over to Phil and gives him a small peck on the lips because he’s afraid he’d lose his self-control if he did anything else.

Phil is smiling at him all innocently and Dan just can’t believe how sweet the guy is. Especially that the brunet knows perfectly well what Phil can do in bed… _Shut up, doofus!_ – he tells himself in his head, because that’s not the way you ‘take it slow’.

\--

Turns out, Phil doesn’t know how to ‘take it slow’ either.

They’re in Dan’s car, parked in an abandoned part of the town, snogging. When they came out of the cinema, Phil took Dan’s hand and went on like it was just natural, like they were a couple already. And it made Dan unbelievably proud. They made their way to the car, Phil talking about how wonderful some scene in the film was, and Dan treasured all his little gestures.

Arriving at the car, he just couldn’t take it anymore, he pushed Phil against the car and kissed him, fully on the lips, and the black-haired man didn’t complain. They were kissing for minutes in the cold night. Dan’s hands found their way into Phil’s hair and the other guy caressed the brunet’s neck.

They got in the car, Dan promising he’d find them a quieter place, so they left. On the way, Phil’s hand was touching Dan’s arm and tights and torso, and anything else he could get. He couldn’t keep his hands off him either, apparently.

So there they are, making out in the backseat of Dan’s car, lazily now. Phil is leaning back against the door, Dan kneels between his legs, nibbling at the ebony-haired man’s bottom lip. Phil hums quietly in appreciation and Dan really hopes he can’t feel his erection. That’s not really plausible, though, since they’re pressed up against each other, Phil’s hands are keeping the younger man close, fingers grabbing at Dan’s hips. The brunet can feel the other’s hard-on as well.

Their mouths start to move faster, or at least Dan’s does. Phil is a bit surprised at the sudden change of pace. He smiles against Dan’s lips.

“Why the rush?” Phil asks, eyes opening as the younger man pulls away. Dan’s blushing a bit, and Phil is smiling knowingly.

“I just-“ Dan wants to answer but Phil’s hand is on his member now, palming him carefully, and the rest of his sentence comes out as a moan.

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch it.” the black-haired man frowns playfully, holding back his grin.

“Don’t stop.” Dan mumbles, closing his eyes, rolling his hips against Phil’s hand. The older man leans against the crook of Dan’s neck and licks a stripe on it.

“I didn’t plan on stopping, darling.”

\--

Two hours later, when Dan arrives at the Kendall-Liguori flat, he knows his friends won’t stop asking him about his date. He can’t blame them, though. He knows he looks like he had a great time.

Which is true, by the way.

He has a bit of a _deja vu_ when the door opens before he even made his way up to it, but he just goes with it. A lot of unexpected things happened tonight, he decides.

“Oh my god.” PJ is standing in front of him, with huge eyes. “Come in, Howell, right now.” and with that, he’s already back inside.

“Wow, you know how to greet a guest.” Dan nods, and really tries not to grin, but he can’t stop himself. He walks inside, and Peej shuts the door immediately. Chris takes Dan’s upper arm and drags him into the living room. When Dan sits down on the sofa, Dil is immediately next to him.

“Hey, kiddo, did you have a good time?” Dan asks and Dil only smiles at him, nodding.

“Daniel.” Chris talks to him, and Dan looks up at his too serious expression.

“What’s that about, guys?”

“His teacher.” PJ points at Dil and Dan raises an eyebrow.

“Your child’s teacher.” Chris adds seriously.

“Mr. Lester.” Dil nods.

“You told them, huh?” Dan asks his son, but can’t be mad at him. It’s not a secret after all. “Yes, I had a date with Phil.” he tells his friends, who look at each other with wide eyes.

“And does it not occur to you in the slightest, that it could turn bad?” PJ asks the obvious.

“For example?” Dan frowns at them.

“For example you two broke up and all that shit would come back to Dil?” Chris talks quietly so it’s not audible for the little boy.

“Guys, I know what I’m doing, okay?” Dan reassures them. “We wouldn’t have started this with Phil if we weren’t one hundred percent sure it could work. And hey.” he added with a shrug and a lopsided smile. “I can only thank you two.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would you guys like some more to this story? leave comments below :33


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wants to make no mistakes with Phil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know you have to wait for ever for the new chapters but i hope it's worth it? :33 no? well okay :c

Dan usually can’t stand waiting a lot. He’s used to get what he wants when he wants it and if he doesn’t, he can become very irritated and sassy. He knows he should be a good example for Dil so he tries to act more adult-like. It usually doesn’t happen.

However, now he is patience itself. He’s sitting in front of the door, listening to the muffled noises of Phil and the last parent discussing things about her child. Dan is waiting, he has been sitting there for two hours now but he doesn’t mind.

When Phil told him that the parents had to meet the head teacher at the beginning of December, Dan hoped it won’t only be about Dil’s schoolwork. They talk a lot about him actually. Phil really likes the little boy and Dan knows he’s very lucky to have such a fantastic teacher to look after his son.

He’s also the luckiest to have a boyfriend like Phil. Dan never really considered himself a romantic guy but he – can’t deny it – loves to get roses occasionally in the morning or doesn’t mind it when Phil pays for their food. The teacher is a real gentleman and the brunet can’t get enough of him.

“Yes, yes, I honestly believe Pat can develop, just practice reading with her and she will be alright.” The door of Phil’s classroom opens and a short, smiling woman with glasses walks out. The black haired man is right behind her, explaining brightly.

“Thank you, Mr. Lester. See you on Monday.” she nods, shaking hands with Phil, then walks away.

“So, you must be last one in the line, Mr. Howell.” the teacher smiles at Dan with a small, exhausted smile. “Come on in.”

“Rough day, isn’t it?” the brunet asks with a sympathetic look when they are already seated in the classroom. Dan sits down as if he was just another parent, to keep the situation normal, for the time being. The walls are decorated with the colourful and happy drawings of the pupils and Dan thinks about finding Dil’s work.

“You have no idea.” Phil sighs and pushes his glasses up on his head, massaging his temples. He doesn’t even sit, just leans on his hand on the table. There were like twenty-five parents who he had to meet and they all expected him to be maximally on top when it was about their child. The teacher totally understands it but is grateful to finally be able to take off his mask of professionalism.

“Oh, babe, it’s okay.” Dan stands up and walks behind Phil, hugging his waist. He buries his nose in the other’s neck. “Can I take you home?” he asks is a whisper. “I could help you relax at your place.”

“Although it’s very tempting, we have to stay, at least for ten more minutes.” Phil answers and leans his head back on his boyfriend’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “You know, rules and all that.”

“Should I sit back where I was?” Dan murmurs in his ear and plants a gentle kiss on the ebony haired man’s neck.

“I don’t think you have to.” Phil smiles and weaves their fingers together. Dan already knows he won.

“Then I have some ideas for the next ten minutes.”

\--

The next day, Dan is sitting in the studio, sipping his coffee. Some Paramore song is on and he just leans back and relaxes. He can’t stop thinking about how he and Phil were snogging in that classroom for long minutes, at the constant risk of somebody walking in on them. Since they weren’t doing anything serious, they possibly wouldn’t have gotten any punishment anyway but just knowing that Phil has to teach in the very same place today makes Dan smirk.

The song is almost over and the brunet can see the small red light blinking on the control panel, meaning he has a call. He takes his headphones on and answers it.

“Good evening everybody, my name is Dan and this is BBC Radio 1.” he speaks in his microphone. Someone probably wants to send a song. “We have somebody on the phone. Hello there.”

“Hey.” a really familiar voice greets and Dan is happy that his show currently has no online stream because he’s surely blushing. “I’m Phil.”

“Hi Phil. What can I do for you?” Dan asks. He has to stop himself from grinning.

“I would like to request a song. For a really special someone.” the teacher speaks, and he is smiling, Dan can hear it in his voice.

“I see. Which song would you like me to play?” he asks and is genuinely interested.

“Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking out loud’.” Phil replies. The brunet can actually see Phil’s grin as he says that. He knows exactly why his lover chose this song. They were at Phil’s flat when this song came on the radio, some days ago after dinner and Dan had a sentimental moment. He took Phil’s hand and pulled him close and they slow danced to it. It was cheesy and a total cliché – and Dan loved it.

“You have a great taste.” he compliments. “Any messages for this person?”

“Yes. Honey, if you hear me, I miss you a lot and I can’t wait for you to arrive and cuddle with me tonight.” Phil speaks and Dan literally can’t take it anymore, he grins, hands covering his pink cheeks. It takes a moment for him to recover.

“Okay, here goes Ed Sheeran with your message. I believe they must miss you just as much as you miss them. Enjoy the song, Phil. Have a good night.” Dan says and he can’t believe he has to wait another hour before he can crash at Phil’s place.

“You too, Dan.” the man says before hanging up. Dan already misses Phil’s voice a lot.

\--

“Hey, gorgeous.” Dan calls as he steps in Phil’s flat. The ebony haired man is nowhere to be seen. At the opening of the door he can immediately smell something sweet and warm. “Wait, did you actually make-“

“Pancakes, yes!” Phil pokes his head out of the kitchen. There’s flour on his nose and Dan grins at him. “They are almost ready. Come help me with the whipped cream?”

“Oh, you know how good I am at those sort of things.” Dan winks at his boyfriend, who just rolls his eyes and goes back to the kitchen. The brunet takes off his shoes and jacket and follows him.

“Alright, some of these are a bit burned, but I tried them and they actually don’t taste that bad…” Phil explains with too much gesticulation. He gives his lover a peck on the lips, then goes back to the pancakes.

"I'm sure they don't." Dan grins as he walks to the fridge and takes the to-be-whipped cream out of it. He wonders for a moment when he became so familiar with his boyfriend's kitchen.

"Prepare the whisk, too." Phil grins and Dan curses himself for telling the man about his awkward porn experience. The brunet remind himself to never ask Tyler about his hobbies ever again.

"As if I'd let you handle the only whisk in the flat." Dan tells him, as he takes the whisk out of the drawer and places it on the counter. He feels a small pink blush on his cheeks.

"There's nothing wrong with strange kinks." Phil jokes with a smirk as he puts the ready pancake on the plate on the other ones. "You can tell me whatever you like."

"One more word and I'm leaving." Dan pours the cream in the bowl and starts to whisk it.

"Who says I would stop you?" Phil asks with a cheeky grin. Dan just can't deny that he's fond of that smile.

"Maybe I'll go and find someone who makes me pancakes _and_ cupcakes." The brunet shrugs nonchalantly, concentrating on clumsily whipping the cream. His lover chuckles softly.

"Come on, you know I love you." Phil mumbles while pouring batter into the pan.

Dan freezes in the movement of whisking.

What did Phil just say?

He couldn’t have said what Dan believes he did. Could he?

The brunet has been thinking about saying this for some weeks now, it seemed like an appropriate timing, he was just waiting for the occasion. He’s already made a mistake with saying it out loud too soon in an earlier relationship. He wants to make no mistakes with Phil. He was ready to wait with it.

And the teacher just goes and says it.

Dan’s slightly open mouth turns into a shy smile and his hand starts the whipping again.

“I love you, too.” he murmurs, keeping his eyes on the other man’s face. The black haired man looks up for a moment and smiles back at him.

Dan realises he really does. He loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm planning on some angst in the next chapter, how about that?c:  
> feedback is always appreciated :33


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We can't raise Dil." Chris tells him finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pleasedon'tkillme

"Hey Dad." Dil grins as he opens the front door. He saw Dan walking up to the door from the window. It's quite late already, as well as cold. They walk in and the little boy closes the door, running back and hopping on the couch. Adventure Time is on the telly.

"This is a great episode." Dan smiles as he sits next to him. He has just arrived to pick Dil up from the Kendall-Liguori flat. He and Phil watched a movie at the teacher's flat, and it was amazing. Dan has no idea what the film was about and doubts Phil has either. "Where are your uncles?" he asks, leaning back next to his son.

"They're in the kitchen." Dil replies, eyes glued to the screen. "They're quarrelling a bit."

Dan frowns at that. Chris and Peej have had their own problems - as pretty much every couple has - but they've never fought when Dil was with them.

"I'll take a look at them, okay buddy?" Dan stands up and after a small nod from Dil he walks into the kitchen.

"Because that's not how you do it!" Chris explains with arms thrown in the air. PJ is standing with his back to him, cutting some vegetables on the counter. He tries to act calmly but Dan can see his tense shoulders. "Babe, it can't go on like this for-" Chris stops when he catches a glimpse of Dan in the kitchen door. His face goes blank as he greets him. "Hi."

Peej just nods at him and gives him a small smile.

"Hello." Dan reciprocates. He has no idea what to say, he shifts his weight from one leg to the other. "I'm sorry it took me so long, we- doesn't matter." he shakes his head awkwardly. He wants to ask what the problem is but doesn't know if he should. "I just- Are you guys... okay?"

"Yes." Peej replies.

"No." comes the answer at the same time from Chris.

"Darling." the curly haired man warns his lover half-heartedly, not looking up from the counter but stopping the cutting.

"No, it- it can't go on like this." Chris shakes his head and turns to Dan. "Sorry, Dan but it can't."

"What is it about?" he raises an eyebrow and he has no idea why but he feels worried. Now he's absolutely sure he shouldn't have asked.

"About Dil." says Chris.

"Did he do something wrong?" Dan worries his fingers, crossing his legs as a defence mechanism. "Or say something? He's just a kid, he's-"

"He didn't say anything wrong." PJ calms him and turns towards him finally, leaning against the counter, folding his arms on his chest. "The problem is… that you barely spend time with him."

"I do." is Dan's instant answer but his voice is so unsteady he doesn't really believes himself either.

"He's always here. Which wouldn't be a problem itself," Chris adds quickly. "But he barely sees you, Dan. It's not right."

"Since you and Phil've become a thing, especially since you two are this serious... look, we are really happy that you could find someone after such a long time, we like Phil and all, but-"

"We can't raise Dil." Chris tells him finally.

Dan has no words for a moment.

Is this what he has been doing? He wasn't this selfish, was he? For the past seven years, Dil has been his life. He is the best son Dan could have asked for and he would do anything for Dil. And _of course_ that hasn't changed for the sake of a man! Even if that man was - most certainly - the love of his life.

"You haven't been raising him." Dan states, calmer than he feels. He actually wants to grab them by the collar and ask them to pretty please say they were kidding.

"Whatever." Chris shrugs. "But you have to get back to him. He needs you. He misses you."

"He never told me that."

“How could he?” Chris asks, and Dan feels his guts tighten. “You wouldn’t even hear it.”

“Do you talk to him?” PJ adds quietly. “Like, did you know he has a girlfriend?”

“What the fuck?” is Dan’s immediate reaction. “Who? When did this happen?”

“Talk to him, Daniel.” Chris tells him, and Dan finally understands. He just turns around and leaves the kitchen, going back to the living room, right to Dil. He doesn’t even say a word, he just puts his arms around the little body and holds him. The boy is surprised for a moment but hugs back. Dan knows he has to fix this.

\--

“Hey, babe, it’s me again, can you... just- I still have no idea what I did to make you hate me so suddenly, but could you call me back? Please, Dan, I miss you a lot, I hate not knowing why you’re avoiding me. Call me, I’m sure we can fix it together… talk to you later… I hope. I… I love you.”

Dan is sitting by his phone and he really tries to supress his tears. He quite manages until Phil speaks the last three words in his weakening voice, then the brunet can’t take it anymore. He lets tears flow down on his face.

It’s the ninth voice message he got from Phil in the last five days, and he has listened to all of them. Dan took Dil to school every day much earlier than he needed to. He didn’t want to risk meeting Phil in the morning, considering he couldn’t avoid meeting him in the afternoon. The teacher needed to wait for all the kids to be taken home every day so Dan tried to act as professionally as he could, he acted as if they were only a parent and a teacher.

It was one of the worst weeks of his life. He hasn’t slept more than twelve hours the whole week, his radio show is a mess these days and he simply stopped eating.

Dan tries to keep it together in front of Dil. He knows the little boy is the most important. He wishes he’d never forgot that.

If anything, his relationship with his son became much stronger. Dil told him about his girlfriend, Tabitha, who is apparently pretty cool, according to what he told Dan about her. She kissed Dil’s nose one day and the little boy found it a bit gross because _eww girls_ but he thought about it and he quite liked it. He also explained that there was a girl whose name was Pancakes and she was always trying to be paired up with Dil in schoolwork.

Dan also bought Dil a fish, its name is Susan and the boy seems to love it. They also play computer games together, like they did before… before he started dating. He wants to punch himself in the face for how awful a parent he was for all these months.

On the other hand, he knows his soul is being ripped apart. Listening to all these voice mails, meeting Phil in the afternoon for some minutes, seeing how much pain Dan’s caused him already is literally the worst. He can’t help it though. He can’t juggle love life and parenting. He’s really tired.

“Dad?” Dan hears his son calling for him from the other room, so he quickly wipes his eyes and clears his throat. He tries to look as okay as he can at the moment Dil opens the door.

“Yeah?” he asks, voice a bit husky. He really hopes the boy doesn’t understand why.

“Daddy, why are you crying?” Dil has a puzzled expression, and Dan wants to hug him. Maybe that would freak him out more so he decides against it.

“No, it’s okay, why were you calling for me?” Dan asks with a fake smile. Dil seems to believe him.

“Can I have some cereal, please?”

Dan nods and stands up. His son races out to the kitchen and sits on his chair, next to the window. He sits in silence as he watches his father fetching him some cereal, along with a bowl for himself. Dan places the cereal down in front of Dil and he eats it with enthusiasm. Dan genuinely smiles as he starts his own meal. He can’t believe how lovely his son is.

“So why did you and Mr. Lester not go out for a long time?” Dil casually asks and Dan almost chokes on his cereal.

“What the actual…” he coughs a few times before speaking. “Who told you about that?” Dan first suspects Phil has asked about him but after a moment he curses himself for being stupid. Phil would never let this get back to Dil.

“Nobody. Dad, I’m seven, you know, and Mr. Lester always tells me I’m clever. I know it from myself.” Dil says, with a too serious expression on his face.

“I haven’t met him this week. It’s not such a long time.” Dan tells him, eating his cereal so he doesn’t have to say more. A week is a fucking long time and he’s lying, he thinks.

“But why?”

“Because now I’m spending time with you.” Dan explains and after a moment he realises he must have just said the worst answer ever.

“But you have to be with him, too.” Dil tells him, as if it was the only sensible answer.

“Family is the most important, don’t you think?” his father asks. He knows it once was the _only_ thing for him, and he honestly thinks it’s one of the most important things in life.

“But you love Mr. Lester. You told Uncle Peej and I heard it.” Dil observes. Dan wants to ask if Dil even knows what love is when the little boy goes on. “I know love is _reeeally_ important. I have a girlfriend you know.” he adds proudly. “And I know your girlfriend can become really upset if you don’t hold her hand and don’t tell her she is pretty. You have to be very kind and play with her and give her some of your sweets because she loves chocolate a lot.” Dil smiles at Dan.

“But Mr. Lester is not my girlfriend.” is all Dan can say, grinning at his son, a small lump in his throat. Dil thinks about it for a moment.

“But he’s pretty. Tell him he’s pretty. And buy him chocolate because everybody likes chocolate.”

\--

He’s spent too much time thinking about what to say and now his mind is totally blank. Dan stands next to his car, one hand holding a box of chocolate, the other fidgeting with his car keys. The area around the school is calm and there are just a few cars in the parking lot. All the children are already taken home. Dan can’t say the weather of February is good for him to stand in one place outside for too long, but he wants Phil to meet him like this.

Louise, Dan’s friend took Dil to them this afternoon, since the little boy is good friends with Darcy, her daughter. Dan needs to have this conversation with Phil. He haven’t talked to Chris and Peej since he told them he haven't seen Phil since they told him off. He knows the guys will be okay eventually, but his problem is a bit more urging.

So there’s Dan, standing, leaning against his car, trying not to look like a snowman in the cold. He’s actually considering Phil went home earlier this day when the man appears in the door of the school. His hands are packed with some books and he has a bag hanging on his side. He’s not that far away from Dan so the brunet can see how tired and sad the teacher looks.

“May I take you home?” he asks, and Phil’s head shoots up, looking in the direction of the voice.

“Dan?” he looks at his lover with huge eyes. “Why- why are you here?”

“I want to talk to you.” he tells Phil. The man’s face turns into something Dan knows his own is reflecting.

“About what, Mr. Howell?” the raven haired man’s eyes show so much pain as he asks it, and Dan knows he was the one to cause it.

“About us. Please, Phil, I was a jerk, I know it but let me explain.” Dan asks him. He has, of course, considered Phil to be upset with him but he wasn’t quite ready for it.

“Okay. Alright.” Phil nods.

“Well, okay… can we just, get in the car first? I’m fucking freezing.” Dan nods towards the car, and Phil gives him a concerned look. “I’m not trying to kidnap you, I promise.”

They get in the car, Phil puts his things on the backseat, then sits next to Dan in the front. The brunet turns up the heating immediately. It’s only then when Dan realises he didn’t give Phil the chocolate yet.

“It’s for you… an experienced romantic gave me a hint on it.” Dan hands over the red box with a small smile. Phil accepts it but without a second thought he only puts it in his lap and looks expectantly at Dan.

“What happened to us, Dan?” the raven haired man asks. Dan sighs and turns towards Phil in his seat.

“I was an idiot. I let things get to me and let others tell me you can’t date and be a father at the same time…”

“I don’t really get it.” Phil tells him with a frown.

“I’ve been neglecting Dil the past few months… It maybe was because we started dating. In the beginning I was told that if we break up it will be awful on Dil, but turns out the opposite is bad enough, too.”

“So you thought ignoring me was the best solution for this?" Phil keeps his eyes on his lover’s face as he asks quietly. "You thought I wouldn’t understand it?”

“I know it was a huge fucking mistake, I’m so sorry.” Dan speaks, looking down at his hands, drawing shapes on his jeans on his thigh. “I’ve always been shitty at confrontation.”

“You could have told me, you know.” Phil tells him, slipping his hand in Dan’s and the brunet looks up. “I can totally understand it’s damn hard to cope with these things but you should know you’re not alone in this anymore.”

“Does this mean you forgive me?”

“How could I be mad at you for being a lovely parent?” Phil asks with a small smile. Dan simply leans forward and kisses him, and he knows his life was pathetic in the last week. He needed Phil’s kiss to feel complete. Dan puts a hand on Phil’s cheeks, pulling him closer. The teacher just places his hands on his lover’s hips, and pushes his tongue in Dan’s mouth. He is a top, after all.

“We’ve got the flat for ourselves now.” Dan whispers between two kisses, and thinking about Phil finally in his bedroom makes him impatient.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, the next chapter will be fluff again, i promise <33  
> Also, i think i might skip some years into the Howlter family's life, how about that? c:


End file.
